Over the past few years, my love of and passion for Biblical Hospitality has grown. My husband and I now find ourselves inviting couples and families that we barely know over to our apartment 2-4 times a month!
But this passion for hospitality was not always so. There was a time when even having friends over meant taking hours and days to scrub the house spotless and prepare the "perfect" meal. Thankfully, the Lord has grown me over the course of our marriage and we find ourselves inviting people we barely know into our home 2-4 times a month!
This did not happen over night. We started out slow. We slowly invited others into our home to get to know them and share a meal, and they started inviting us over. Slowly we learned the tips and tricks to making hospitality run smoothly and be enjoyable for both us and our guests.
How to Begin Practicing Biblical Hospitality
Begin Slowly
Hospitality doesn't have to mean inviting your entire church over this month. It doesn't mean having to invite 2-4 families every month. Maybe a good starting goal is to invite one new family or couple over every month or even every other month as you get used to practicing hospitality.
You Don't Have to Break the Bank
You do not need to have fancy decorations or a gourmet meal. Many couples and families feel that they simply don't have enough room in their budget to practice hospitality.
But don’t stretch yourself. Start with a commitment of having a family over once a month and serve pizza! Everyone loves pizza, your meal doesn't’t have to be complex or fancy. Try out freezer cooking and make all your meals ahead, it can save a lot of money!
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Don't Let Your Emotions Get in the Way
Putting yourself out on the line and inviting people you barely know over to your house to share a meal can be intimidating! Does that family you keep inviting over ALWAYS seem to be busy? Don’t take offense to it. Families get busy, don’t take it personal, sometimes schedules just don’t match up. And many do not make hospitality a priority or even know that they should so be patient and understanding.
Learn from Others
As you begin practicing hospitality, others will start to welcome you into their home as well! Watch and observe. Learn from what they do and don't be afraid to ask them questions {how did you make that? Where did you get this?}.
Do they have music playing? What kinds of questions did they ask? Did they get a card game out or offer coffee after dinner? This is the best way to learn new tips and tricks. Offering coffee at the end of a meal is a great comfort to offer, but if you never drink coffee past 10am then you might not think about it. Glean from other’s experiences and wisdom.
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Make Things Simple
Hospitality doesn't’t have to cost a lot of money like I said before. So even simple touches can make a huge difference on your house and hospitality. Have a couple candles lit {up high if kids are coming over}.
Have soft music playing when the family gets there and during the meal. Decorate your home in a way that welcomes in new guests and find cheap projects that you can do to spruce things up a bit such as recovering old dining room chairs.
Ask, Ask, Ask!
When practicing hospitality, ask, ask, ask. Many people that we have invited over to our house, we felt nervous about asking…will they want to come over? We barely know them…do they even know who we are? But everyone loves to be invited over. So just ask!
Ask about food allergies or preferences. You don't’ want to make a big meaty lasagna only to find out that one kid is allergic to tomatoes and Mom is a vegetarian! Ask other women for their hospitality tips. Many women like to share what they do to make their home welcoming, so ask those around you how they do it!
Practice, Practice, Practice and Learn!
Biblical Hospitality was an important part of the early church and should be an important part of our modern church. But there is not a lot written on practicing hospitality today. Here are a few great resources!
Remember, it’s not about your home, it’s about your heart.
At the end of the day your candles don’t matter. Your cooking skills are not what is on display. The dessert and music in the background will quickly be forgotten.
What will not be forgotten is your heart. What really matters is your heart for serving the Lord and opening up your home! Remember that and don’t sweat the details.
You can connect with Jami more on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. She blogs about her passion for Biblical Womanhood, Homemaking, and Hospitality at Young Wife's Guide and her and her husband write about marriage at A Biblical Marriage.